Trailering without the boat

Jazzmanic · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:55 am Post subject: Trailering without the boat

I just returned from a trip from Twin Bridges to Seattle, approximately 100 miles, trailering my King Trailer without the boat on it. On two occasions, applying the brakes hard and stopping quickly and braking slowing going downhill on a freeway offramp, the brakes reacted very strangely, like they were locking up and causing the trailer to jerk violently.

Being new to trailering, Caryn and I surmised that since the 5-pin connector was used, the surge brake actuator was actuating whenever there was any forward pressure to the trailer brakes. Since the load was so light (only the trailer), the surge brakes must have caused the trailer brakes to lock up. Does this make any sense?

This jerking action did not occur on flat surfaces. So tell me, should I have used the 5-pin connector (connecting the surge brakes) with no load? Or should I have used the 4-pin connector with no brake connection. Is this usual to happen when not towing a heavy load (i.e. the boat)? Are there any special actions we should have taken when towing the trailer with the boat? Lastly, do you think this problem will occur when we are towing the boat back from Seattle to Twin Bridges? I checked the brake fluid and the reservoir was full.

dogon dory · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:50 am Post subject:

Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author

Wefings · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:07 am Post subject:

Depending on which brake actuator/coupler [master cylinder] style you have , you can creatively lock the brakes out when towing trailer only .Sometimes a pin or bolt will keep the sliding part from sliding to actuate the brakes . That should solve the empty trailer dance problem . If you can e mail or post a pic or get a make/model I might have had experience with it and know a trick .
Marc

katkt · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:04 am Post subject:

I've had to tow car dollies, and other trailers empty before, and I usually deflate the tires so they absorb the road abit. A trailer thats capable of carrying 4000 lbs. + will bounce like a basketball if the tires are full up.
A BIG C-clamp can sometimes be used to stop the slide action of surge brakes, if a pin can not be used as suggested by Marc.

Sneaks · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:19 am Post subject:

Some of the newer trailers with reverse solenoids have manual lockout levers as well, but you have to tie the lever down or it can pop back when you hit a bump.

Just don't be tempted to temporarily wire the solenoid to a battery to defeat surge braking. Those solenoids will burn up with prolonged current and they're a little spendy.

Don

colobear · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:47 am Post subject:

I have a new (April) EZ-Loader with surge brakes. On the top of the surge controller is a round cap with two arrows, one says "backing" and the other says "remove". There is a pivoting bar in the center of the cap that must be depressed to rotate the cap. If I rotate the cap in the "backing" direction I think...it disengages the brakes to allow backing without the brakes locking up. If your trailer has a similar setup placing the cap in the "backing" position may solve the problem. Incidentally I had a hard time figuring that out because on my trailer both the cap and the bar were immoveable until I found a (rubber) hammer. I put anti-seize lubricant on them and now everything moves easily. I am very glad to see this thread because I have been having problems with the trailer locking up when backing even on a straight flat road. Sometimes I could get it to unlock by pulling forward, other times I had to pull forward, try to back, repeat, repeat, etc, etc, until it finally unlocked. I suspect the solenoid is malfunctioning but don't know how to check it. Can anybody help me there?? I'm new to surge brakes, had electric brakes on my travel trailer, sure wish I had them on the boat trailer

Sneaks · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:30 pm Post subject:

Jazzmanic · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:46 pm Post subject:

Thanks for all the replies, guys.
Dan wrote:

DaveS · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:30 pm Post subject:

Jazzmanic · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 2:31 pm Post subject:

You're right Dave, forgot the last 0. I'll definitely try a bolt/pin to stop the surge brakes from actuating. I don't plan on pulling the trailer sans boat often but all the suggestions totally make sense to a newbie like me.

Likewise, I really enjoyed meeting and talking to you at Bellingham. Hope to see you out on the waters real soon.

Peter

colobear · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 2:41 pm Post subject:

Thanks Sneaks, I'll check that adaptor.

Wefings · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 2:56 pm Post subject:

http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.prodInfo&productID=5436&categoryID=150
Is this your coupler ? If so you can put a couple bolts through the top where it slides to prevent the brakes from applying . I dont seem to have the capability to post pictures or I would , but a link with a picture is there . Let me know if you have questions .
Marc[/img]

Pat Anderson · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:56 pm Post subject:

Wefings · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:55 pm Post subject:

Some of you Brats seem to have magical internet powers...........